Chris Elsberry: More than anything, Blaney a gentleman

Published 11:00 am, Tuesday, June 25, 2013

LOUISVILLE, KY - FEBRUARY 06: George Blaney the interim head coach of the Connecticut Huskies gives instructions to his team during the Big East Conference game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 6, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images

For 12 years, he was the yin to Jim Calhoun's yang. He was the calm to Calhoun's storm and most importantly, he was always the voice of reason and calm after a player had just been blasted with a barrage of profanities from UConn's ever-volatile head coach.

George Blaney, who on June 13 announced his retirement from the coaching game at age 73, might have been Calhoun's associate head coach, but he was so much more than that. He was a sounding board when Calhoun needed something discussed. He was a hard worker with the players, always striving to make them better, and, again, most importantly, he was a friend to everyone, especially the media.

When Jim was cranky, go see George.

There, one would always find answers to questions, usually questions never truly answered by the head coach. It wasn't like George wanted to be quoted -- how many times during a Calhoun post-game press conference would one turn his head and see Blaney, standing in the back of the room, watching Jim try to keep his head from exploding? Hundreds. But a reporter on deadline could always get the kind of answer he needed from Blaney to finish his story.

He was more than a coach. He was a gentleman.

He came to Connecticut in 2001 after a coaching career that saw him start at Stonehill before moving on to Dartmouth, Seton Hall, Rhode Island and Holy Cross.

Right away with Calhoun, the two opposites attracted.

"When he joined me at UConn, I think it was a great marriage of perhaps two very different personalities, but two people who were very similar in our feelings about the game of basketball and the kids who played for us," Calhoun said in a statement released by the university. "I've known George for 40-plus years, and he is not only one of the best basketball coaches, but also one of the finest people I've ever been around.

"George had an awful lot to do with all that we were able to accomplish here and I will cherish the time we had working together. He will always be very special to me and I'm proud to call him my friend."

After Calhoun retired at the end of the 2011-12 season, Blaney stayed on as an assistant with new coach Kevin Ollie, helping him keep the team focused in spite of sanctions that did not allow the Huskies to play in the NCAA or Big East postseason tournaments. Still, UConn went 20-10, a tribute to the hard work of both Ollie and Blaney.

But after last season and now, with Ollie firmly entrenched with a long-term contract, Blaney decided it was time to hang up the coaching whistle.

"I always said I would know when it would be the right time to go," Blaney said in a statement. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my years at UConn, but I think for me, this is the right time. Coaching with Jim has been so special for me. We have always been such great friends and that just made for a wonderful working relationship. His passion for the game, for the kids, and for UConn is what made him such a special coach.

"And I am just so excited about Kevin. I said right from the get-go that Kevin Ollie is a superstar coach and he certainly showed it last year. And I think this year's team is going to be terrific."

A few years ago, I wrote a story about George and his son, Brian, then a new assistant under Ed Cooley at Fairfield. George had gone to see a Stags game, but because of NCAA scouting rules, he couldn't go in. So, he sat in the car, listening to the game on the radio. The game was close and Blaney got so nervous that he turned the radio off.

He didn't know that Fairfield had pulled out the win until his wife came back to the car.

A cute, touching story. I gave Blaney a copy of the story the next time I saw him at a UConn game.

Not too long after that, a letter arrived at the office.

"Dear Chris," it began. "I just got a chance to read all the stories written about my son Brian and myself ... while I liked all of them, as they were very flattering, I thought your story really caught the essence of our feelings. I just wanted to thank you for doing your homework, for getting to what we thought was the point and for having the writing skills to paint a picture. The writing done by sportswriters today is not what it used to be. You, though, are excellent and it is a pleasure to read your writings. Thanks again for an outstanding story.

"Sincerely ... George."

Wow. And I still have the letter.

Today, very few coaches take the time to express their gratitude like that, but George Blaney always did. Like I said, he was more than just a coach. He was a gentleman.